Spoiler alert: There will be no talk of moral victories, no rousing motivation, nor wistful second-guessing. The Bills, though holding its own, were beaten by a better opponent Sunday in the Baltimore Ravens, 24-17.
The Ravens certainly didn’t look like world beaters, but they found a way to win — as good teams tend to do. The best thing Buffalo can do now is turn its attention to Week 15.
Here are six key stats to know from the Bills’ loss to the Ravens on Sunday:
209
Baltimore held Buffalo to a season-low 209 yards of total offense Sunday.
The Ravens held Josh Allen to just 146 passing yards and a touchdown on 17 of 39 passing. Baltimore was content letting Allen complete short passes, but took away the intermediate and deep ball. Allen was just 2-for-14 on attempts longer than 10 yards.
Devin Singletary eclipsed the century mark in total yards, going for 89 yards on 17 carries and snagging six receptions for 29 yards. Prior to Sunday, the Bills’ worst offensive output of the season came in a 31-13 loss to the Eagles in Week 8.
195
Baltimore’s defense definitely lived up to its billing in Sunday’s victory, though Buffalo’s defense certainly held its own.
The Bills held MVP candidate Lamar Jackson to a season-low 195 yards of total offense. Jackson did throw three touchdowns, including a 61-yard strike to Hayden Hurst on a busted coverage assignment early in the third quarter.
Remember, no moral victories to take away here, but Buffalo’s defense to 257 total yards – the fewest by the Ravens this season. That didn’t affect the outcome, but it’s empirical evidence that the Bills’ defense can hang with anyone.
23.5%
Buffalo struggled to extend drives, converting just four of its 17 third down attempts (23.5 percent). The Bills entered the game converted 38.4 percent of its third downs; its current 37 percent conversion percentage ranks 18th.
61.1 percent
In the event Buffalo was able to get into the red zone, the Bills settled for field goals all too often. Buffalo has a 61.1 percent red zone conversion rate on the season, 10th best in the league.
On Sunday, the Bills converted just one of its three red zone drives into a touchdown. Buffalo had a chance to tie the game on its final drive, with a first down at the Baltimore 18, but the drive ended with three straight incompletions after a 2-yard run on first down.
One
The Bills need one win over the next three games to clinch a playoff berth.
No hypotheticals, no complex scenarios; just win…once.
Buffalo’s first crack at a win-and-in starts on the national stage in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have won three straights games – albeit against the Browns, Bengals and Cardinals – and seven of their last eight.
Pittsburgh, one of three AFC teams with an 8-5 record and nipping at Buffalo’s heels in the wildcard race, boasts the league’s fifth best defense in yards allowed, sixth best in points allowed and best in turnovers forced.
+1.5
Buffalo opened as a small underdog (+1.5) for the Sunday night game at Heinz Field. The line has since moved out to +2.
The Steelers are one of the hottest teams in football and are getting surprisingly solid quarterback play from third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges, who replaced backup Mason Rudolph , who replaced injured starter Ben Roethlisberger.
Still with me? Good.
The Steelers (8-5) are 7-4-2 against the number on the year; both teams are 3-1-1 in their last five games against the spread. Buffalo is 5-0-1 against the number away from New Era Field; Pittsburgh is 4-2-1 at Heinz Field. The Over/Under is set for 36.5.